A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to decorative handles which are attachable to rotatable stems. It is especially useful in allowing a decorative handle to be attached to a rotatable valve control stem without requiring the use of an exposed access hole or an exposed screw hole.
B. Description Of The Art
Valve control stems are often provided with a fluted attachment end that is formed with an axial screw hole. Conventional handles that are designed for use with such stems usually have a fluted interior bore which mates with and slides over the fluted end. An attachment screw then passes through the handle and into the stem screw hole to secure the handle to the stem. In order to make the screw accessible, so that the handle may be readily installed and removed, an access hole is normally formed in the top of the handle.
To protect the interior of the handle and to improve appearance, attempts were made to hide the access hole and the screw. To this end, the prior art developed special snaps or covers which could be placed over the access hole and removed when appropriate. Side set screws which passed through the handle neck instead of the handle top were another alternative. However, the use of the special snaps or covers detracted from the decorative appearance of the top of the handle and added extra cost to the assembly. Side set screws detracted from the appearance of the neck of the handle and were awkward.
More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,468, which issued on Dec. 22, 1981 to E. F. Bolgert, disclosed an improved decorative handle assembly which relied upon a sandwiching of an assembly ring and a handle insert around a stem adapter (the stem adapter being screwed onto the stem). While this handle assembly did have advantages over the prior art, it was desired to reduce the cost of manufacture and installation still further.